Tree Cradling Light

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

On the way home a few weeks ago I saw this scene. Took the opportunity to get a photo and did the best I could to isolate the tree and light.

This is my submission into the three hundred-and-fifty-fifth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “Looking back to #42 – Creativity“. As a comparative to this photo, here’s what I did for #42. That one and this one are different in a good few ways, I think, with this one being more about “subject” and feeling more stark, and the prior one being more about “scene” and feeling far less minimal.

The host of the Lens-Artists challenges cycles weekly between the following people:

Tina

Patti

Ann-Christine aka Leya

John Steiner

Sofia Alves

Anne Sandler

Egídio

Ritva

Beth

This one is curated by Leya. Next week the hosts are taking a breather. On the 12th, it’s me hosting as a guest! Exciting times. Happy and a little sad, but exciting nonetheless.

At the moment Patti is sitting out the challenges whilst she recovers from wrist injuries. Go send her some love.

I recommend joining the community and participating in the challenges. They’re pretty straightforward, allow room for interpretation, and provide a good way to think about photography in general. If not, however, then at the very least you should check out what others submit to the challenges.

I hope you enjoy.

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Retro Remix Revue: Donkey Kong – Aquatic Ambience

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

One listen.

I wrote this in part for similar reasons as to why I wrote about Retro Remix Revue’s cover of “Secret of the Forest”: I thought it’d be interesting to do so after writing about the original.

This one is similar and different to the original at the same time, which is to be expected. I think I did better in my writing about this one. Not exactly sure why; it might be due to having an easier time from being familiar with the source. I don’t know.

Retro Remix Revue’s “Donkey Kong – Aquatic Ambience” is from Retro Remix Revue, Vol. 2. It’s an album of covers from various game soundtracks.

I hope you enjoy.

—

Sounds flow in, flow connected, not stopping. They drift, pause (at least some of them) then percussion comes in, brushing past, brushing alongside as everything else moves through its pressing melody.

There’s a quiet here now. Percussion pulses, urges, as do other sounds as they follow in their moving up and down before fading. Soon a rise and once more percussion fills out more. Steady, and woodwind comes in now, asking questions and exploring a deep quiet.

The woodwind disappears and the quieter sounds draw out, draw forward. Keys shimmer in the dark, in the impenetrability of the deep. Percussion becomes livelier, and synth now clearly carries the main line.

Here the sounds are stronger, more confident. They flow with a push and a thrust, and they play smooth, coming forward and pulling back where required. The drama of the melody is emphasised, and the heaviness is there.

Synth comes more forward, extends and compresses notes. It plays slow and fast, moving as required, not being too busy but putting forward an energy. Putting forward more drama, rising and falling, seemingly gliding, flowing. Flowing along, cutting its own current through.

When the synth ends, the other sounds lower. They move more toward a peace, but they keep that pressure. It’s not a heavy pressure. It’s not pressing down. It seems to urge, seems to reveal a calm among it all, and there’s prettiness to it, and focus and direction, and it suddenly stops at the song’s end.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1512: Fatiguing Period

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

It has been a highly fatiguing period, and that probably has a lot to do with getting back on the bike and riding the bike and cycling and using my legs in ways they haven’t been used in a while, due to them being used in the act of cycling. On a bike.

Bike.

Last week I tried write something in under five minutes and I dropped it as it wasn’t going anywhere. Now I’m just trying to write. There are ideas floating around and I need to pluck them out of the air. I need to grab onto them and put them into a form where they are used. That said, sometimes it’s good to just let an idea float away.

Sometimes you just need to let an idea float on away, disappear. Maybe it will come back after some adventuring. Who knows. I do know that it’s not good to hold tightly onto everything. That can be a good way to see some things not get the space they need, and if they don’t they might be worse off for it. You want things to be better and not worse, unless you do want things to be worse, in which case… not sure what you’re after, to be honest.

But anyway, I’m sitting and I’m getting through my work. Soon I will be on lunch, lunching away as one does. I will be doing the thing and in doing the thing I will be feeling the land. I will be in the moment as I become one with my surroundings and turn into furniture of the most unusable variety, but that’s okay. Some furniture is ornamental. I’m sure I’ll survive, so long as no one tries to pick me up and carry me off.

But I will be in the zone, drawing as that’s what I must do at the moment. I must draw; I am compelled. I must rehearse; I am compelled. I need to keep forcing myself to write, because I need to keep on writing. I feel that if I don’t then I am allowing myself to wither away in some form. I don’t want that to happen. But sometimes these things get away from you. Sometimes you find things become a struggle, and then what? Do you give up?

I remember Henry Rollins gave up music because he didn’t have it in him anymore, and maybe that’s what I’m facing. But I still have that desire. I don’t have the drive, but I desire to write. There is so much I am yet to say, and so I need to find ways to say it, even if that means I need to struggle against the lack of drive. I need to let some ideas flourish and I need to grow some by my hand, and I need to work out which is which. I’m sure I will get there at some point. Maybe one day it’ll happen. I don’t know. These things take time.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:05:76

Not my best work, but if I need to force myself, I need to force myself.

Written at work.

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Metapod

Posted on June 29, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

I decided to be a bit more loose with my lines with this one, as well as try and replicate the shading that the art I was tracing used. I’ve wanted to make use of more shading but haven’t gotten around to doing so. Laziness reigns supreme at the best of times.

I think this one turned out  okay. Would make a few changes if I were better at drawing, maybe. Don’t know.

I hope you  enjoy.

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David Wise: Aquatic Ambience

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

One listen.

With this I put fragments down without trying to expand upon them. I feel like what I wrote feels like things going past quickly, but it’s not quite that. Anyway.

David Wise’s “Aquatic Ambience” is from Donkey Kong Country‘s soundtrack, DK Jamz: The Original Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack. It is also featured on Super Donkey Kong Original Sound Version as “WATER MUSIC”.

I hope you enjoy.

—

Sounds move slow, moving, moving along, drifting under pressure, peaceful, urging in a way. Urging peacefully. Floating in and out of range, pulsing. Muffled and clear.

A change, though the melody remains the same. More beeps, more pulses, more moments held within a small frame of time.

Percussion is light, gentle. It’s just enough to push things forward. More sound along with it, adding layers of melody. Questions, wondering, answers. Majesty of a grand space unable to be appreciated. Fragments of the slowness of underwater, and how quick it is.

Seemingly the sounds become more urging, more pressing and pushing along. A weight to them, a rushed beauty. A peace in darkness until they all fade and the song ends.

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MS Paint self-portrait, 2025

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

I started on this last year. I wanted to adapt this photo as I thought it’d look good in paint. I didn’t get too far. Maybe I felt like I wasn’t sure as to where to go with it or something.

Decided to finish it off today, make it more of a flatter monochrome image and I think the result works, though it definitely could be better.

I hope you enjoy.

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Caterpie

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Another day, another pokémon from Pokémon. Or is that Pokémon from Pokémon? Dunno.

Anyway, the initial sketch took under ten minutes. Was a few hours of work after that. Was a little too free with my lines.

I hope you enjoy.

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A Glimpse of What Else Could Be

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

I think the title covers this well enough.

I hope you enjoy.

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Zuntata: Future Perfect From 7

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

One listen. Probably the last song used in G-Darius that I’ll cover for a while… unless I remember another track that I want to cover. Which I’ve just realised that there’s at least one and that will likely be tomorrow.

Anyway, this took a bit of time to click. I was getting through what was happening, but once I noticed the space, I feel this started improving. If not, at least changing.

Zuntata’s “Future Perfect From 7” is from G-Darius‘ soundtrack, G-Darius Original Arcade Score.

I hope you enjoy.

—

Gently intense percussive sound whilst a voice floats on above. Something more bassy between, and it pushes something hard, heavy, maybe menacing. More sound comes in, strikes in cut moments and rises, and the mood seems to lift with it.

The sound goes to the base again, and rises higher but does not seem to have at all. Then keys come in and descend, and maintain the intensity, but carry some gentleness. They are responded to by brief strings, lower again, and then those strikes are lower and more recognisable, or at least seem to be akin to voices.

It’s conclusive and it returns to the start and never lets up. Everything flows through, and it’s all with some sort of space that doesn’t seem to be there at all. There’s relief but there’s tension and stress, and maybe some sort of satisfaction. Maybe something bittersweet in there as the sounds fade out and the song ends.

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Mazda MPV 2004

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

A little over four years ago I shared a photo of a chair I saw at this location whilst I was driving around in The Blue Mountains. It made for what I felt was an interesting contrast. Or maybe it was harmonious. Anyway, it was similar weather to this photo, which features my car, which might soon be retired due to current mechanic being unable to figure out how to fix the issues it has that have been fixed before (by another mechanic).

This car has been incredibly useful and comfortable, and it’s going to be sad when it’s gone.

On my last trip from Bathurst I stopped off at this location to take this photo. There was a certain feel I was trying to capture; one of an older photo taken whilst on the road, I guess. It didn’t work out, but the photo works in monochrome.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week. This one is hosted by Dawn of The Day After, and she has chosen “Modes of Transportation” as her theme.

This challenge is open to all, and I recommend joining in. If want to, check out more information about it here, and include the tag “monochrome-madness” when you share your photo. If you’d prefer not to join in, then at the least check out Leanne’s photography, and what other people submit.

I hope you enjoy.

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